U.S. Federal Judge dismisses charges against a Chicago woman shot by a border agent, after prosecutors abruptly reversed course in the high-profile case.
U.S. Federal Judge in Chicago has dismissed all charges against a woman who was shot by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent last month, ending a closely watched case that raised questions about the handling of federal use-of-force investigations.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis came only hours after federal prosecutors requested the case be dropped—a sharp shift for the government and an unexpected turning point in a case that had drawn national attention. Court records show the request was filed early Thursday November 20, 2025, with the judge granting it later that afternoon.
Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen, and co-defendant Anthony Ruiz had both pleaded not guilty to a federal count of assaulting or impeding federal officers. The Justice Department had alleged the pair rammed or aggressively pursued a vehicle carrying border agents assigned to a security operation in Chicago on October 4, 2025.
Martinez, speaking briefly to reporters after the dismissal, described the ordeal as exhausting but said she was relieved the case was over. “I’m blessed. I’m happy,” she said. “It’s been hard. I haven’t been able to sleep, but now I’m going to go sleep.”
Her attorney, Christopher Parente, argued throughout the proceedings that it was the border agent—identified in court filings as Charles Exum—who struck Martinez’s car, not the other way around. He accused federal agents of giving misleading accounts and said the case would have collapsed at trial. “These agents were not telling the truth,” he said. “Miss Martinez never rammed anybody.”
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Federal prosecutors had claimed Martinez and Ruiz drove erratically and posed a threat to multiple agents on duty. But the case began to shift as questions mounted about how evidence had been collected and preserved.
Exum, who fired at Martinez following the collision, also faced scrutiny for having been allowed to take his damaged government vehicle back to Maine, driving it more than 1,000 miles despite its role as key evidence. Text messages he sent to fellow agents, shown in court earlier this month, prompted further concerns from the defense.
Judge Alexakis previously expressed unease about the unequal treatment of the vehicles belonging to Martinez, Ruiz and Exum—two held in Chicago as evidence, while the agent’s car was released.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said prosecutors continually reassess cases arising from Operation Midway Blitz, a major federal law-enforcement initiative in northern Illinois, and that the decision reflected that ongoing review.
The Department of Homeland Security reiterated its view that Martinez endangered agents but referred further questions to the Justice Department.